


Check Your Privledge

by TeamMeowrail



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Hemospectrum Kink, M/M, Safe Sane and Consensual, Verbal Humiliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-29
Updated: 2012-11-29
Packaged: 2017-11-19 20:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/577122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamMeowrail/pseuds/TeamMeowrail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kankri knew that checking your privilege (or having Kankri check it for them) was rough, sometimes even dirty,  work, but it had to be done. Just because they were dead, and possibly on the verge of utter annihilation, didn’t mean that there still wasn’t work to be done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Check Your Privledge

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning (this is an actual, not-joke trigger warning): while there is no rape/abuse/etc, Kankri indulges in victim blaming and uses the same set of language typically used while discussing rape/incest/abuse.

“...so, you see, your privileges as an able-bodied cisblooded ‘high’ blood has blindsided to you to the advantages that you enjoy over those ‘beneath’ (highly problematic language, potentially triggering) you on the hemospectrum, which can be best illustrated by an earlier essay, I mean, an earlier conversation of mine, which I have come to call ‘Unpacking The Storage Device That You Are Not Aware That You Are Carrying On Your Back’, which is in dire need of an update due to the added disparities and unearned privileges on Alternia, in particular with regards to ableism...although some are becoming to find the term ‘ableism’ problematic, primarily myself, perhaps I should use the term ‘disability discrimination’? Either term is fine? Excellent, I am glad we cleared that up. I wouldn’t want to inadvertently offend you with implicitly problematic terminology. But if you’ll allow me to get back to the topic at hand, about your privileges. Now of course I am aware that the hemospectrum is not simply a matter of haves and have nots. Power-over paradigms are rarely a black-and-white matter. They are, if you’ll forgive the redundancy, a spectrum.

“To use you as an illustrative example, if you do not mind, as a blueblood you are extremely privileged and hold power over the majority of the hemospectrum. And yet, as a blueblood, there are those that have power over you, and marginalize and oppress you within the power-over hierarchy paradigm of the hemospectrum and I have no intention of dismissing or downplaying that that aspect of your identity, especially in (trigger warning: hate crime, internalised hemophobia, mental illness, mortality issues, vitalism, explicit deadness) regards to the self-categorism that invariably and tragically lead to your own demise. Not that I am trying to insinuate that your murder at the hands of an indigo blood is in any sense your ‘fault’ - I have no intention of victim-blaming, that would be unconscionable on my part, I think we should all take a moment to explicitly state that we know your death was his fault and his fault alone. I am not triggering you by bringing this up, am I? Should I fetch your moirail? No? I am glad to see you have been able to process through that painful experience and are now standing strong as a murder survivor. After all, being murdered is potentially just as traumatic an event as any other violence one can ‘survive,’ if you'll pardon the problematic language.

“But I feel it is important to draw your attention, for the moment, to the unmerited benefits, seemingly ‘trival’ as they may seem on the surface, that you take for granted - your own choice of hive, with any amenities that you desire provided to it, access to better education and a more powerful lusus, taking center stage in a coolhue-centric narrative...”

Kankri was pleasantly surprised with the progress he was making with post-scratch Zahhak. (Although referring to Equius Zahhak as “Alternia’s Zahhak” or “Post-Scratch Zahhak” was rather problematic, now that Kankri thought of it, because it measured worth and identity only in relationship to his descendant/ancestor Horuss Zahhak, strongly implying that Horuss is the “original” or somehow more “real”, making this line of thought a mircotransgression of Beforuscentrism). This Zahhak - no, no, sorry, Equius - was a perfect listener, and was taking to Kankri teachings with a stunning amount of grace, of all trolls. Equius stood perfectly still, every muscle rigid and slick with sweat, his eyes intensely focused on him, absorbing the truth. 

Perhaps a bit too intensely? No. Not to stereotype, of course, but in Kankri’s experience, categorically with exceptions, Zahhaks were easily flustered. And what could be more discomforting than having the ignorant, privileged paradigms abruptly taken away from you? Equius’s face was flushed with shock. That was all. Kankri knew that checking your privilege (or having Kankri check it for them) was rough, sometimes even dirty, work, but it had to be done. Just because they were dead, and possibly on the verge of utter annihilation, didn’t mean that there still wasn’t work to be done. Complacency was never an option. Whatever reminding time they had left, it should be time where everyone was aware of how wrong they were in this post-mortal kyriarchy. If Kankri could shed the truth about injustice to even one more soul, it would be all worth it. 

Kankri continued without a hitch with his preaching - that is, his opening the floor up to an a fair and equal exchange of ideas. Equius continued to give him undivided attention. He was beginning to think he’d be an even better student than Karkat! Although Equius perspired a little heavier each time Kankri said “castest”, “privileged”, or “problematic”. 

“...twenty, I can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeterrorist cards, dolls, toys, and wriggler's magazines featuring people of my blood color, twenty-one, I can go to my hive from most meetings or organizations I belong to feeling somewhat tied in rather than isolated, out of place, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance, or feared...are you, all right, Equius? Are you being triggered by any of this? Do you want me to fetch - ”

“No.” Equius spoke for the first time. His voice was raw. Towelless, he wiped his sweat away on his hands. He body was impossibly toned and tight, like Latula’s, only all the more so. “I do not need Nepeta. Continue. I command, er, politely request that you continue.”

Kankri thought of bringing up the problems inherent in Equius’s language, but thought better of it. He’d touch on it later, of course, but he was on a roll.

“...even though privilege can, to the ignorant, look like a personal strength, it is in fact permission to escape or to dominate others. The power that comes with unearned privilege can look like strength when it is in fact permission to escape or to dominate...”

Equius groaned. His knees shook, and then snapped under him, hitting the ground with a horrible, wet thud that only a sweaty ghost body made of one hundred and fifty pounds of solid sweaty ghost-muscle could produce. His head hung down, sweaty hair clinging to his face. The veins in his thick neck stood out like rope. It was a bit... impressive, not to be lookist or anything. Horuss always wore his uniform, so Kankri had never really see what kind of build he had, but Equius didn’t seem interested in hiding his physique at all. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. Nothing wrong with that at all. 

“Now, before I ask you this question, which you no obligation to answer, by the way, please keep in mind that I do not mean to concupiscent-normative with the assumptions inherent in this question (though I have heard that you were, in fact, an allosexual, but in either case I certainly am making no judgement on you). While it is true I have chosen the celibate ‘life’ (trigger warning: vitalism) style for personal reasons, I am not concupiscent- negative, and neither do I mean to pry into the matter of your sexual desires or continued existence - (or conex for short) style , which are of course none of my business and your personal choices that have no inherent positive or negative value to them, but I do feel the need to bring this up because of what I perceive to be happening, although of course it made merely be projection or misunderstanding on my part, but I feel the need to ask, for the sake of informed consent, for what I may or may not be participating in, are you getting turned on?”

“I have been so self-centaured, so exceptionally bigoted, so udderly castest. Aradia was right when she called me a snob, but the truth is far horse, I mean worse. I have been so wretched, and...I am so ashamed. The truth is I was quite aware of my privileges, but I thought I had a right to them. I have been so awful, please, tell me more about what an awful troll I am.” 

“I am not personally calling you awful, I have no intention of indulging in casteism-shaming, that would be counterproductive and hypocritical on my part, although I do believe that you fiercely adhered to a system of beliefs that perpetuated numerous injustices, even when, ironically, those beliefs were against your own interests, and you willfully participated in blood caste-based privilege, I, uh, would really appreciate if you perhaps stopped panting, and twitching those huge, tight muscles, right now?”

“Forgive me. I cannot help it.”

“While I find you eroticizing shame and humiliation to be potentially...

For once, Kankri had trouble speaking. Equius looked up at him, eyes all expectation.

“...potentially, uh, problematic, because...shame is a tactic used to enforce behavioral expectations, and has been a heavy-handed and often times brutal social weapon used to control and dominate others, and humiliation being an involuntary loss of power. At the same time, however, while I cannot deny that the personal aspect of our continued existences has a correlation to our participation in social justice, which is hardly limited to sex but most certainly includes it, there is something to be said in this thorny situation for the matter of one’s personal orientation and also informed, consensual choices between two or more individuals. That is, of course, provided all trolls involved either as participants or witnesses have openly negotiated the matter beforehand to avoid any triggering material. You haven’t been triggered by any of this, have you? Communication and negotiation is essential to creating a concupiscent-positive culture, although I am the first to admit for the sake of full disclosure that this is something that I have at times struggled with, as I have my own stubborn biases toward the monogamy-centrism of the quadrants.

“But perhaps...by choosing celibacy, I have blindsided myself to understanding what roles power and privilege play in our continued existences, and while the experiences of asexuals, autosexuals, and semi-asexuals should be represented and acknowledged, as the majority of trolls and human ghosts that I have encountered are allosexual, and their sexuality shapes their personality and their attitudes towards matters of social justice, it wouldn’t be a wrong course of action to become better acquainted with the subject, don’t you think? Not that another troll couldn’t be celibate or even asexual and understand these things, you see, I don’t want to imply that one must be sexually active or even have sexual desire to understand sexuallity, but I feel, in my own personal instance, perhaps it would help in furthering your education, and I would, in the process, learn from you about others eroticize gross injustices and systems of power. We would, in effect, be schoolfeeding each other.

“I fear that I have been willfully locking myself in the trunkbeast horn tower for a literally immeasurable amount of time, deliberately ignorant of other’s wants and needs even as I tried to reach out to them - even as I am aware of my uniquely underprivileged privilege (which is, of course, not quite as unique as I once thought, considering my various ancestors and descendants), I have faltered in my vigilance, in checking my own celibacy privilege. Now, with that all being disclosed, before we continue our conversation, it is utterly essential to make sure we are operating under a culture of open communication, negotiation, and consent.” 

“I want to continue our conversation.” Equius looked away, slyly. He was almost smiling, which was as cute as it was horrifying. “I command that this free and open dialogue on injustice continue.”

Kankri’s lips were on his whistle, automatically. At the shrill sound, Equius straightened his already-stiff back and lifted his head, fully at attention

“Excuse me? Command me? You command me? Excuse me, but I find your language here to be highly, highly problematic. I tried to ignore it the first time, as you are getting used to realizing that your power-over paradigm is false - and you have to understand here how difficult that is for me to overlook your casual assumption of control over me, especially from someone I consider a friend! I am speaking as someone who exists outside of the hemospectrum, someone whose existence is invisible at best and repulsive at worse. I don’t mean to use the term casually or lightly, but it is borderline triggering for me. As a minority It is quite easy for you to ignore or dismiss my experiences, and nearly impossible for me to ignore yours - that is what privilege is, that is how it works. I truly find this to be inexcusable. Now, Equius, under what right do you have to command me? Under what pretexts do you assume that you have power over me? You are desperately clinging to your highblood privilege...”


End file.
